THE BASIS OF GOVERNMENT

The Constitution and National Pact together form the framework of
Lebanon's parliamentary democracy. The Constitution provides for three
branches of government: an executive, a legislature, and an independent
judiciary. The president of the republic, who appoints the prime
minister, is elected by the Chamber of Deputies, the legislative body.
Although this system resembles that of a Western democracy, because of
the National Pact and its legitimization in the Constitution, the
president, ministers, and deputies act as members of their respective
confessional communities and not as atlarge representatives.